Can't the Kyklopes Just Make More Lightning?
The first book of Percy Jackson & the Olympians, The Lightning Thief, has been made into a movie. Otherwise, this story would doubtless have fallen under my radar. There are so many stories written about the Gods that, if one were to stack them, they could form a magical stairway to either Mount Olympos. Fortunately for Rick Riordan (or unfortunately, as the case may be), the achievements of his series have earned the notice of a substantial number of bona fide Hellenic Polytheists, who have been talking about the book series constantly.
I read the entire first book this afternoon. Before I continue, I would first like to say that I found it immensely enjoyable—better than Harry Potter, at least from my trauma-stained memory of an attempt at the final book—and will probably continue reading the delightful storyline.
Of course, you know what comes next. That’s the thing, right? “It was good, but ...” and its variations are standard expressions in English. The Lightning Thief awakens fears in me that the greater public will consider those of us who worship the Gods as more deluded than previously, thinking that modern-day polytheists believe ourselves to be the divine progeny of the Gods. It could attract scores of teenagers to Hellenism—the sort who once flocked to the idea of Otherkin—and create a breed of Hellenic fluffbunny hitherto unknown to the world. Furthermore, how can we know that Rick Riordan actually knows what he’s talking about? What if he has a shoddy interpretation of the myths? Could he corrupt the public’s understanding of Hellenic Mythology more than Disney?
That was before reading the book. Now, some things have changed. The book has made me feel easier in some ways, but in other ways it is far worse than I imagined. Let’s start with the bad.
“Upstate New York,” the Weather, and Other Geographic Concerns
Google Analytics doesn’t lie (at least, not as much as it could). Some of you who read this blog are from other countries, or possibly from other areas of the United States. I feel it is my duty to enlighten you about some falsehoods perpetuated by NYC residents.
You are told about this “Upstate New York” in many books and television shows. Frequently, as in a recent reality show about a farm, someone in the family actually works in NYC proper. While some people in the Hudson River Valley, which stretches from Albany from NYC, may disagree, this needs to be said: If you can board a train or drive to NYC without overnighting (unless, of course, you dislike sleeping), YOU ARE NOT IN UPSTATE NEW YORK. I don’t know who wrote this Wikipedia entry, but I tend to agree:
Particularly within Upstate New York, the definition of the word "upstate" is often much further north. For instance, many communities clearly beyond the New York City commuter orbit are part of New York City's media market, which includes Dutchess, Ulster and Sullivan counties, and thus do not get local television (via cable) from Albany or Binghamton TV stations. Many upstate residents note that the state capital of Albany, being mostly dominated by New York City-area politicians, has more in common with downstate than upstate, and imply that everything in between, including the Hudson Valley region and occasionally the Catskill Mountains, can be considered downstate; for example, Buffalo News columnist Donn Esmonde (in defending Caroline Kennedy's abortive Senate run) criticized Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's upstate credentials by saying "In the end... [w]e get a [so-called] 'upstate' senator whose Hudson Valley base is equidistant from New York City and Albany, the state’s power centers."[1] [source]Therefore, most times you hear of someone being in Upstate NY, they are really lying, especially if they don’t capitalize the “upstate” of Upstate New York.
If Percy Jackson were really in Upstate New York, “massive snow storms” all across New York after Christmas would not signify any super special plot developments. I live in the Finger Lakes, in the real Upstate NY. In the winter, it’s a snow globe. In the summer, unless you live in the lowlands by the lakes, it is blissfully cool. It is the one thing that keeps me smiling as my skin cracks and bleeds from the frigid air.
Percy Jackson also mentions a hurricane. If you have looked at the geography of New York, there is only one section of the state that’s even remotely near a coast. I wonder which part of the state that is.
The Eumenides
Score one for Mr. Riordan. You called the Eumenides the “Kindly Ones” everywhere. Of course, you also demoted them to monsters.
As someone who is currently researching the cultus paid to the Eumenides, many aspects of their portrayal are not accurate to the myths or the cult. The Erinyes specialize in tormenting people who have murdered parents or siblings. Think Orestes. According to Theoi.com,
The Erinyes [are] three netherworld goddesses who [avenge] crimes against the natural order. They [are] particularly concerned with homicide, unfilial conduct, crimes against the gods, and perjury. A victim seeking justice [can] call down the curse of the Erinys upon the criminal. The most powerful of these was the curse of the parent upon the child--for the Erinyes were born of just such a crime, being sprung from the blood of Ouranos, when he was castrated by his son Kronos.In the book, the Erinyes spend most of their time chasing Percy and friends around on behalf of Hades. I am not sure that they would be open to it unless they had nothing better to do. (Unfortunately, there are always matricides and patricides to deal with.) There is, of course, one thing that the Erinyes could have a problem with in The Lightning Thief, done once by Zeus and again by Poseidon. However, the purifications for breaking an oath of the Styx (which Riordan probably forgot to avoid narrative complications) are dire enough that, again, the Erinyes wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. I am holding myself back to avoid spoilers.
The wrath of the Erinyes [manifests] itself in a number of ways. The most severe of these [is] the tormenting madness inflicted upon a patricide or matricide. Murderers might suffer illness or disease; and a nation harbouring such a criminal, could suffer dearth, and with it hunger and disease. The wrath of the Erinyes [can] only be placated with the rite ritual purification and the completion of some task assigned for atonement. [source]
Does He Really Mean to Imply Hades Sired Hitler?!
Yes. WTF indeed.
Zeus, God of Strangers
Zeus is the God of Hospitality. That the cabin for Hermes’s kids would take on all of the ones who don’t know who their parents are is absurd, especially since there are too many of them.
Athene’s Daughter
This is an iffy thing. I don’t exactly have a problem, except Athene is supposed to be one of the three eternally virginal goddesses. She has a daughter in this book.
Of course, Annabeth’s father could have just ejaculated on Athene’s thigh.
Heroism 2.0
Now we turn to the good thing about this book that prove it’s not just a feel-good text designed for younger readers. This is what started warming me to the text and the characters: in Camp Half-Blood, regardless of the silly name used for heroes, people actually do proper acts of piety for the Gods. They offer sips of drink, and everyone has to give part of their meal to the Gods via communal fire. People sing hymns to the Gods around the campfires. It is really lovely.
Heroism isn’t just about the ability to fight well or be clever. Heroism is about virtue. Virtue is not only about courage and wisdom, but about piety. The bad guys are impious.
If The Lightning Thief will attract some young minds to an awareness of the Gods, at least they have a proper model for virtue. Everything comes right out of Solon or the Delphic Maxims. Perhaps someone can trick them into picking up Plato’s Symposium or the fragments of Empedocles ...
I also liked some miscellany that didn’t deserve classification. At one point in the story, Percy Jackson comments that “anybody might be a monster or god,” which is something that was very important to how ancient Hellenic Polytheists viewed the world around them. Some modern polytheists also see the Gods around them. This idea has important implications for traditional Hellenic values such as hospitality.
Hopefully, the movie will reflect the good things about this story.
I don’t recall having reviewed any fiction books on KALLISTI before, so I will draw up a new rating guide.
Story - 5/5
Mythological Plausibility - 3/5
Writing - 4.5/5
Overall Impression - 4/5
Lastly, I would like to leave you with a quotation from lines 1003-1009ish of The Lightning Thief. It’s in the chapter entitled I PLAY PINOCHLE WITH A HORSE. Enjoy.
And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not—and believe me, plenty of people weren’t very fond of Rome, either—America is now the heart of the flame.
